The Pull List – Dragonfly & Dragonflyman #1
The insect heroes of Earth-Alpha and Earth-Omega are back and ready to take on villainy. Dragonfly & Dragonflyman explore two parrel universes that share similar backgrounds, but with completely opposing attitudes. These two identical worlds may look the same but function on a completely different level. Earth-Alpha has its champion Dragonlyman, a cheerful and mild manner hero that is loved by all. Earth-Omega has Dragonfly, the tough and hostile defender that is feared than respected.
Dragonfly & Dragonflyman take place before the events of The Wrong Earth, where Dragonfly and Dragonflyman switched each other’s universe. This first chapter, Dragonfly and Dragonflyman are finding strange clues about the villain The Devil Man in their respective universes. The Devil Man in Earth-Alpha sends an innocent Tasmanian devil tp the Mayor’s office while The Devil Man in Earth-Omega chooses something more extreme. Accompanying the insect winged hero is Stinger, the eager and spunky sidekick. The dynamics of mentor and mentee are vastly different. Dragonfly scolds Stinger for his interactions, while Dragonflyman praises his young ward’s opinion. However, each team will be tested as Devil Man has a fiendish plan to trick the Dragonfly men.
Tom Peyer returns to the amazing story of the Dragonfly heroes with this great re-introduction of the characters. The story delivers both a touch of the silliness of the golden age comics and the grim tones of the modern age. The base inspiration is a Batman-like story, but each character feels like a totally separate identity once the narratives begin to split off. The Dragonflyman has a high moral code and a world that plays by a low violence rule. Threats involve confused animals from Austria and a boxing match up that only seems good after a few stiff drinks. The Dragonfly comes from a dark world that feels cold and walks within the grey zone of justice. Even Earth-Omega’s Stinger’s inner monologues that explore the Dragonfly’s from a darker perspective.
Peter Krause and Andy Troy have amazing artwork to tell both a light heart comedy and a raw drama. The sequences in Earth-Alpha are bright and cheerful, while in Earth-Omega seems to have an overcast that gives everything a layer of grit. The goofy boxing match between Dragonflyman and a Kangaroo is hilarious, it’s something that would totally happen in that place. The horrid rat monsters from Earth-Omega are nightmarish and give just a hint of what other inhumane activities happen in that city.
Dragonfly & Dragonflyman is a fun homage to the superhero mythos of the past and present. Readers will easily see the inspirations behind the story and be instantly hooked by its charm.